ISIS detainees in NE Syria pose great threat to region – CENTCOM
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, Commander of US Central Command said on March 9 fighters of Islamic State (ISIS) in detention camps in northeast Syria are a “veritable” ISIS army in detention that will pose a great threat regionally and abroad if they are freed.
Kurilla visited sites critical to the ongoing efforts to defeat ISIS in northeast Syria for the sixth time during the last 11 months, the CENTCOM tweeted.
The Gen. visited a facility run by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for ISIS fighters in Hasakah, northeast Syria, as it houses more than 5.000 ISIS fighters.
In the detention facility “I saw the looming threat posed by this group,” he added. “Between those detained in Syria and Iraq it is a veritable ‘ISIS Army in Detention’. If freed, this group would pose a great threat regionally and beyond.”
The CENTCOM views ISIS in Syria into three categories and the Gen. has observed them during the visit, according to the tweet.
The categories are: ISIS at large, ISIS at detention and the potential next generation of ISIS.
He stressed that “ISIS retains the ability to inspire, direct, organize, and lead attacks in the region and abroad.”
He also visited camps for ISIS family members, including Hawl and Roj, and said that the only solution for those in the camps is “repatriation”.
Roj Camp, one of several detention camps in northeast Syria, holds about 727 ISIS families, numbering 2.310 individuals including 1.582 children.
Hawl Camp, 45 km east of the city of Hasakah, is a house for 55.829 individuals, including 28.725 Iraqis, 18.850 Syrians and 8.254 of foreign nationalities, according to the latest statistics obtained by North Press.